Football Ready For A&M After Week Off
September 26, 1999 | Football
Sept. 26, 1999
TEXAS TECH vs. TEXAS A&M
OCT. 2 ? 6 P.M. (CDT)
JONES STADIUM (50,500)
COACHES
Spike Dykes (Stephen F. Austin, ?59) is in his 13th season as head coach of the Red Raider football program. The ?Dean of the Big 12 Coaches,? Dykes has a career record of 77-64-1 at Tech. Dykes has served in his current position longer than any coach in school history.
R.C. Slocum (McNeese State, ?67) is in his 11th season as head coach at Texas A&M. He has a career record of 97-28-2, all at A&M.
SERIES
Texas A&M leads the series 32-24-1, but has yielded three of the last four meetings to the Red Raiders. Texas Tech dropped last season?s game 17-10 in College Station after winning the three previous meetings. Tech rattled off home wins of 14-7 and 16-13 during the 1995 and 1997 seasons and took a 13-10 decision in College Station in 1996. The series in Lubbock is tied at 11 games.
TV
FOX Sports Net will broadcast the game nationally at 6 p.m. (CT).
RADIO
The All Sports Radio Network is in its fourth season of broadcasting Texas Tech football games on a network basis. The 22-station network covers the state of Texas and Eastern New Mexico. Jack Dale (play-by-play) and John Harris (color) provide gameday coverage.
IN ESPANOL
All Texas Tech football games are broadcast in Spanish via KXTQ in Lubbock. Mario Montez and Israel Aguilar provide commentary. The Spanish broadcast can also be heard on the internet at www.texastech.com.
WORLD WIDE WEB
Information concerning each of Texas Tech?s 17 intercollegiate sports can be obtained through the world wide web at: www.texastech.com
Texas Tech in Big 12 Openers
Texas Tech is 2-1 in Big 12 openers, including two straight wins. Red Raider victories have come over Baylor (35-14) in 1997 and Iowa State (31-24) last season.
First Time at Home
Saturday?s game at Jones Stadium marks the first time that Texas Tech has opened the Big 12 season at home. The Red Raiders have traveled to Kansas State, Baylor and Iowa State to open conference play since 1996.
After an Open Date
Texas Tech enjoyed an open date last week, and if history is an indicator, that could be good news for Red Raider fans. Under Spike Dykes, Texas Tech is 12-4-1 following a week off.
The Last Time vs. Texas A&M
After jumping to an early lead and then coming up just short down the stretch, Texas Tech lost to Texas A&M, 17-10 at Kyle Field in College Station. The Aggie win broke a three game Red Raider win streak in the series.
Red Raiders-Aggies in Lubbock
Whoever wins Saturday will break an 11-11 deadlock in games played in Lubbock. Texas Tech has taken the last two meetings at Jones Stadium, 16-13 in 1997 and 14-7 in 1995.
Playing it Close
Seems Texas Tech and Texas A&M are never involved in a sleeper, or at least not lately. The last five games between the Red Raider and the Aggies have been decided by seven points or less. Texas Tech has won three of those five.
Tech-A&M Series Tidbits
This will be the 57th game in the series ? Texas A&M leads 32-24-1 ? the series began in 1927 with A&M winning 47-6 in Lubbock ? this is the earliest meeting between Tech and A&M since an Oct. 1 showdown in College Station in 1994 ? the series with the Aggies is the oldest of current Tech rivals, starting in 1927.
And a Child Shall Lead Them
With preseason Heisman candidate Ricky Williams nursing an injured knee, true freshman Shaud Williams has stepped in and leads the Red Raiders? ground attack. After running for 151 yards and two touchdowns against North Texas, the Andrews product has 210 yards on 34 carries, 6.2 yards per carry.
Keeping Pace With Ricky
To say that true freshman tailback Shaud Williams is off to a fast start might be an understatement. Drawing a quick comparison shows Shaud Williams 18 yards ahead of teammate Ricky Williams? pace as a true freshman runner in 1997. After three games as a freshman in 1997 Ricky Williams had run for 192 yards on 37 carries. Shaud Williams has 210 yards on 34 carries.
Now Serving Number 32?Number 35
Tailback depth has not been a problem at Texas Tech early in the 1999 season. Since Ricky Williams was sidelined with a knee injury at Arizona State, James Easterling and Shaud Williams have stepped up to the plate nicely. Easterling rushed for 105 yards at UL-Lafayette, while Shaud Williams had 151 against North Texas.
Not So Fast, Though
Before you decide that the Red Raiders have been fine with Ricky Williams sidelined, consider this. After three games Texas Tech has rushed for 556 yards (185.3 per game). After three games last season Tech had run for 867 yards (289 per game). Even James Easterling and Shaud Williams? combined 408 rushing yards this season pale in comparison to Ricky Williams? 665 rushing yards after three games in 1998.
Paper or Plastic?Rucker or Lemons?
When Texas Tech has needed a sack, the Red Raiders have turned to defensive end Taurus Rucker or outside linebacker Devin Lemons. Combined, Rucker and Lemons have six of Tech?s eight quarterback sacks this season.
Peters Climbing Career List
Senior quarterback Rob Peters needs just 283 yards passing against Texas A&M to move past Charles Napper into Texas Tech?s career top 10 list for passing yards. Napper passed for 2,262 yards from 1969-71. Peters had thrown for 1,980 yards in limited playing time at quarterback. Peters is on pace to finish his career fifth on the all-time Red Raider passing charts.
In the Red Zone
Texas Tech has been productive during the early season once the Red Raiders move inside opponent?s 20-yard lines. In nine trips, Tech has converted seven times, six of those touchdowns. One of the two times the Red Raiders didn?t convert was to run out the clock at Louisiana-Lafayette. The other was a lost fumble.
Take Me Out to the Classroom
Texas Tech boasts seven players who have posted at least a 3.0 grade point average for six consecutive semesters and all seven contribute on the field as well. Topping that list is Raider Keith Cockrum, who has earned a perfect 4.0 for eight consecutive semesters and center Kyle Sanders who has a perfect 4.0 for six straight semesters.
Name Pos GPA Semesters - 3.0 or BetterKeith Cockrum R 4.00 8Kyle Sanders C 4.00 6Robert Monroe SN 3.90 6Rob Peters QB 3.88 (3.67 Grad) 8Reagan Bownds R 3.61 8Chris Birkholz K 3.54 6Kyle Shipley MLB 3.17 (3.50 Grad) 6
Academic All-Conference
Texas Tech had the second-most Academic All-Big 12 first team selections last season with 14. First team selections are regular players who posted at least a 3.2 grade point average. The list of academic all-conference selections can be found on page 141 of the 1999 Big 12 Football Media Guide.
The Last Time Out
North Texas came to Jones Stadium and upset Texas Tech, 21-14, on Sept. 18. The Red Raiders are coming off an open date prior to meeting Texas A&M.
Texas Tech on TV
FOX Sports Net?s national production of the Texas Tech-Texas A&M game will mark the 107th television appearance for the Red Raiders since first appearing against Auburn in the 1954 Gator Bowl. Tech is 44-49-3 all-time on the tube.
National TV
Saturday?s game will be Texas Tech?s 33rd national television exposure and the 61st game in the Spike Dykes? era to be televised.
En Espanol
Texas Tech is one of just two NCAA Division 1-A programs to offer its football broadcast in Spanish (Miami is the other). Radio station KXTQ produces the broadcast, but it can also be heard via the internet (www.texastech.com). Mario Montez handles the play-by-play and Israel Aguilar the color commentary.
Will They Be Back??Yes and No
Fullback Sammy Morris has returned to practice and is expected to play for the first time since bruising a shoulder in the season-opener against Arizona State. Tailback Ricky Williams returned to limited action on the last day of practice during the open date, but is doubtful for A&M while his sprained knee recovers. Offensive lineman Matt Heider (hamstring) is expected to play, but trenchmate Jason May (knee) is questionable. Cornerback Oscar Solis is still in doubt with an ankle sprain.
The 2,500 Yard Club
Even though a knee injury slowed Ricky Williams? 1999 debut at Arizona State and kept him out of the last two games, the preseason Heisman hopeful has joined an elite group of Texas Tech runners. Williams is one of only six ball carriers in Tech history to rush for over 2,500 career yards. He now has 2,509 yards and joins Byron Hanspard (4,219), James Gray (4,066), Bryon Morris (3,544), James Hadnot (2,794) and Larry Issac (2,633) in that exclusive club.
Looking Back With Sammy
With eligibility questions and bruised shoulders in the past, fullback Sammy Morris ready to take up where he had his last full measure of football competition, against Texas A&M. Morris? last extended action was in the 1996 A&M game where he caught a game-winning 81-yard touchdown pass.
Top of the List
ESPN analyst Mel Kiper has rated Texas Tech?s Sammy Morris the top fullback in the upcoming National Football League draft. Before exiting at halftime against Arizona State with a bruised shoulder, Morris had caught three passes for 68 yards and ran three times for 11 yards. The shoulder injury kept him out of the last two games.
Spreading It Around
The 1999 Texas Tech defense may be as deep as any in recent memory. Coordinator John Goodner and staff are playing a multitude of players, with 29 defenders having already registered stats after just three games. Safety Kevin Curtis leads the pack with 36 total tackles, but 15 Red Raiders have tallied double digit totals.
Staff Experience
To say Texas Tech players have a chance to learn from experience may be the understatement of the season. The 10 full-time members of the Red Raider staff have a combined 259 years of coaching experience, 156 of those years at the collegiate level. This staff has coached a collective 68 years at Texas Tech.
Dean of Big 12
Coach Spike Dykes is the dean of Big 12 head coaches, in his 13th season at the controls of the Red Raider program. Kansas State coach Bill Snyder and Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum are next on the list, both having been with their programs for 10 years.
Spike Tops List
Spike Dykes? 77 wins at Texas Tech make him the winningest all-time coach in Red Raider history. Dykes? moved past Pete Cawthon (1930-40) with Tech?s win at Louisiana-Lafayette this season.
TRACKING TEXAS TECH?S 1999 OPPONENTS
| Opponent (Date vs. TTU) | W-L | Last Week (Sept. 25) | This Week (Oct. 2) |
| at Arizona State (Sept. 6) | 1-2 | lost to California, 24-23 | UCLA |
| at UL-Lafayette (Sept. 11) | 1-3 | beat Middle Tenn., 45-31 | LOUISIANA TECH |
| NORTH TEXAS (Sept. 18) | 1-2 | Idle | at Baylor |
| TEXAS A&M (Oct. 2) | 3-0 | beat Southern Miss, 23-6 | at Texas Tech |
| at Oklahoma St. (Oct. 9) | 2-1 | Idle | at Nebraska |
| COLORADO (Oct. 16) | 2-2 | lost to Washington, 31-24 | Idle |
| at Baylor (Oct. 23) | 0-4 | lost to Texas, 62-0 | NORTH TEXAS |
| at Missouri (Oct. 30) | 2-1 | lost to Nebraska, 40-10 | at Memphis |
| IOWA STATE (Nov. 6) | 3-1 | lost to Kansas State, 35-28 | Idle |
| at Texas (Nov. 13) | 4-1 | beat Baylor, 62-0 | KANSAS STATE |
| OKLAHOMA (Nov. 20) | 3-0 | beat Louisville, 42-21 | at Notre Dame |
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Texas Tech vs. TEXAS A&M
| TTU | A&M | |
| Total Offense | 376.7 | 458.7 |
| Points Scored | 21.7 | 40.7 |
| First Downs | 19.0 | 24.7 |
| Rushing Yards | 185.3 | 200.3 |
| Passing Yards | 191.3 | 258.3 |
| Time of Possession | 31:35 | 32:00 |
| 3rd Down Conversion % | 41.0% | 36.7% |
| Points Allowed | 23.0 | 12.0 |
| Yards Allowed | 261.0 | 230.3 |
| Rushing Yards Allowed | 144.7 | 46.7 |
| Passing Yards Allowed | 116.3 | 207.7 |
STATISTICAL LEADERS
RUSHING YARDS
| Texas Tech | TEXAS A&M | ||
| Williams, S. | 210 | Hall | 147 |
| Easterling | 198 | Toombs | 145 |
| Hunter | 71 | Bernard | 81 |
PASSING YARDS
| Texas Tech | TEXAS A&M | ||
| Peters | 540 | McCown | 706 |
| Kingsbury | 34 | Smith | 53 |
RECEPTIONS
| Texas Tech | TEXAS A&M | ||
| Dorris | 10 | Taylor | 12 |
| Baker | 6 | Johnson | 7 |
| Jones | 5 | Hodge | 7 |
POINTS SCORED
| Texas Tech | TEXAS A&M | ||
| Williams, S. | 18 | Kitchens | 38 |
| Easterling | 12 | Toombs | 18 |
TACKLES
| Texas Tech | TEXAS A&M | ||
| Curtis | 36 | Webster | 25 |
| Duffie | 25 | Anthony | 21 |
| Shipley | 23 | Glenn | 20 |
TEXAS TECH TEAM SUPERLATIVES
| Points Scored | 38 | at UL-Lafayette | |
| Low 13 | at Arizona State | ||
| First Downs | 26 | at UL-Lafayette | |
| Low 19 | at Arizona State | ||
| Rushing Plays | 58 | at UL-Lafayette | |
| Low 33 | at Arizona State | ||
| Net Rushing Yards | 227 | at UL-Lafayette | |
| Low 107 | at Arizona State | ||
| Passes Attempted | 30 | vs. North Texas | |
| Low 24 | at UL-Lafayette | ||
| Passes Completed | 15 | vs. North Texas | |
| Low 9 | at Arizona State | ||
| Had Intercepted | 2 | at ASU, ULL, vs. North Texas | |
| Low 0 | none | ||
| Net Passing Yards | 264 | at UL-Lafayette | |
| Low 139 | at Arizona State | ||
| Total Offensive Plays | 82 | at UL-Lafayette | |
| Low 60 | at Arizona State | ||
| Total Net Offense | 491 | at UL-lafayette | |
| Low 246 | at Arizona State | ||
| Fumbles | 3 | vs. North Texas | |
| Low 2 | at ASU, ULL | ||
| Fumbles Lost | 1 | at ASU, ULL, vs. North Texas | |
| Low 0 | none | ||
| Penalties | 11 | at Arizona State | |
| Low 4 | vs. North Texas | ||
| Penalty Yards | 86 | at Arizona State | |
| Low 35 | vs. North Texas |
TEXAS TECH INDIVIDUAL SUPERLATIVES
| Rushing Attempts | 25 | James Easterling at UL-Lafayette |
| Net Rushing Yards | 151 | Shaud Williams vs. North Texas |
| Rushing TDs | 2 | James Easterling at UL-Lafayette |
| 2 | Shaud Williams vs. North Texas | |
| Pass Attempts | 29 | Rob Peters vs. North Texas |
| Pass Completions | 15 | Rob Peters vs. North Texas |
| Had Intercepted | 2 | Rob Peters (three times) |
| Net Passing Yards | 245 | Rob Peters at UL-Lafayette |
| Passing TDs | 2 | Rob Peters at UL-Lafayette |
| Receptions | 4 | Derek Dorris vs. North Texas |
| Receiving Yards | 74 | Tim Baker at UL-Lafayette |
| TD Receptions | 1 | Derek Dorris at UL-Lafayette |
| 1 | Tim Baker at UL-Lafayette | |
| Punts | 8 | Eric Rosiles at Arizona State |
| Punt Average | 45.0 | Rob Peters at Arizona State |
| Punts Inside 20 | 2 | Eric Rosiles vs. North Texas |
| Punt Returns | 3 | John Norman at UL-Lafayette |
| 3 | Paul McClendon vs. North Texas | |
| Punt Return Yards | 42 | John Norman at UL-Lafayette |
| Kickoff Returns | 2 | by three players |
| Kickoff Return Yards | 51 | by John Norman at Arizona State |
| FG Attempts | 1 | by Chris Birkholz at ULL, vs. North Texas |
| FG Made | 1 | by Chris Birkholz at UL-Lafayette |
| Interceptions | 1 | Reagan Bownds at UL-Lafayette |
| Interception Yards | 0 | Reagan Bownds at UL-Lafayette |
TEXAS TECH INDIVIDUAL LONG PLAYS
| Rushing | 55 | Rob Peters at Arizona State |
| Passing | 64 | Rob Peters at UL-Lafayette |
| Field Goal | 29 | Chris Birkholz at UL-Lafayette |
| Punt | 45 | Rob Peters at Arizona State |
| Punt Return | 28 | John Norman at UL-Lafayette |
| Kickoff Return | 31 | Rickey Hunter at UL-Lafayette |
| Interception Return | 0 | Regan Bownds at UL-Lafayette |
OPPONENT TEAM SUPERLATIVES
| Points Scored | 31 | by Arizona State |
| Low 17 | by UL-Lafayette | |
| First Downs | 19 | by Arizona State |
| Low 8 | by UL-Lafayette | |
| Rushing Plays | 45 | by Arizona State |
| Low 27 | by UL-Lafayette | |
| Net Rushing Yards | 271 | by Arizona State |
| Low 54 | by UL-Lafayette | |
| Passes Attempted | 27 | by Arizona State |
| Low 10 | by North Texas | |
| Passes Completed | 13 | by Arizona State |
| Low 3 | by North Texas | |
| Had Intercepted | 1 | by UL-Lafayette |
| Low 0 | by Arizona State, North Texas | |
| Net Passing Yards | 179 | by Arizona State |
| Low 76 | by North Texas | |
| Total Offensive Plays | 72 | by Arizona State |
| Low 46 | by UL-Lafayette | |
| Total Net Offense | 450 | by Arizona State |
| Low 148 | by UL-Lafayette | |
| Fumbles | 4 | by Arizona State |
| Low 0 | by UL-Lafayette | |
| Fumbles Lost | 2 | Arizona State |
| Low 0 | by UL-Lafayette, North Texas | |
| Penalties | 12 | by UL-Lafayette |
| Low 4 | by North Texas | |
| Penalty Yards | 89 | by UL-Lafayette |
| Low 30 | by North Texas |
OPPONENT INDIVIDUAL SUPERLATIVES
| Rushing Attempts | 27 | Ja?Quay Wilburn (North Texas) |
| Net Rushing Yards | 160 | J.R. Redmond (Arizona State) |
| Rushing TDs | 2 | J.R. Redmond (Arizona State) |
| Pass Attempts | 17 | John Leonard (Arizona State) |
| Pass Completions | 8 | Barton Folse (UL-Lafayette) |
| Had Intercepted | 1 | Derek Dyer (UL-Lafayette) |
| Net Passing Yards | 117 | John Leonard (Arizona State) |
| Passing TDs | 1 | Jason Attaway (North Texas) |
| Receptions | 6 | Marcus Wilridge (UL-Lafayette) |
| Receiving Yards | 80 | Marcus Wilridge (UL-Lafayette) |
| TD Receptions | 1 | Broderick McGrew (North Texas) |
| Punts | 10 | John Baker (North Texas) |
| Punt Average | 41.2 | Nick Murphy (Arizona State) |
| Punts Inside 20 | 2 | Nick Murphy (Arizona State) |
| Punt Returns | 4 | Davaren Hightower (Arizona State) |
| Punt Return Yards | 29 | Davaren Hightower (Arizona State) |
| Kickoff Returns | 6 | John Bernard (UL-Lafayette) |
| Kickoff Return Yards | 98 | John Bernard (UL-Lafayette) |
| FG Attempts | 3 | Stephen Baker (Arizona State) |
| FG Made | 3 | Stephen Baker (Arizona State) |
| Interceptions | 1 | by six players |
| Interception Yards | 34 | Travis Schwartz (UL-Lafayette) |
OPPONENT INDIVIDUAL SUPERLATIVES
| Rushing | 81 | Ja?Quay Wilburn (North Texas) |
| Passing | 48 | Barton Folse (UL-Lafayette) |
| Field Goal | 40 | Stephen Baker (Arizona State) |
| Punt | 58 | John Baker (North Texas) |
| Punt Return | 18 | Davaren Hightower (Arizona State) |
| Kickoff Return | 28 | Delvon Flowers (Arizona State) |
| Interception Return | 34 | Travis Schwartz (UL-Lafayette) |